(TERRE HAUTE) - 52-year-old Jayleen Strole remains in pain seven weeks after an attack by three dogs that left her with a deep gash in her leg, for which she is still seeking treatment and a Bloomington man was honored for saving her.

On Sept. 1, Strole was walking near her home in Rosedale when she was suddenly attacked by large dogs. 33-year-old Roger Baynum, employed by Townsend Tree Service, had been working nearby performing tree-clearing work near power lines as a contractor for Duke Energy.

When he saw the dogs attack Strole, he came to her, fought off the dogs until they retreated. He then calmed Strole down and administered first aid using a kit Townsend employees are required to keep in their vehicles. He also called 911.

While the dogs initially retreated, they were about to attack again when a neighbor shot a gun and scared the dogs away. He learned later that prior to the attack on Strole, the dogs had trapped another woman in her vehicle.

On Thursday, representatives of Duke and Townsend gave special recognition to Baynum and presented him with a plaque. They also gave Strole a bouquet of roses.

Baynum say more people should start looking out for each others. I think this country would be in much better shape."

During the Sept. 1 incident, he says several people drove by and did not stop to assist. "That's disheartening to me."

Strole received 18 stitches to her calf, but the wound was too deep. She is now going each week to the Union Hospital Wound Healing Center, which will continue for several more weeks.

Owner of Dogs Faces Charges

The owner of the three dogs that attacked Jayleen Strole on Sept. 1 has been charged with three counts of animal cruelty, class A misdemeanors, according to a court spokesperson.

The case is pending in Parke Circuit Court.

The Parke County Sheriff's Department still has the dogs in its possession, said Steve Runyan, a sheriff's deputy. He believe the dogs should be destroyed. "It's not the first time they've bit someone," he said.

The dogs had been inside a house but broke out through a window prior to the Sept. 1 attack, Runyan said. The owner had been gone for about 24 hours, he said, and the dogs had been left inside on a hot day with no air conditioning. Temperatures outside that day had been between 100 and 105 degrees, Runyan said.

When the dog attack occurred that afternoon, one of the concerns was for children at Rosedale Elementary. Children were not allowed to walk home after school until the dogs were captured, he said.

The dogs' owner, Lee Ross, says she is sorry Jayleen was injured, but she would not discuss her court case.